Austin named one of the best beer cities in America

Photo by Ralph Barrera / American-Statesman. Adelbert’s Brewery was mentioned in a Wine Enthusiast list naming the top beer cities in the U.S.

Well, it’s official: Austin’s many breweries have now made the city one of the top destinations in the U.S. for grabbing a freshly made brew.

Wine Enthusiast magazine recently listed the seven “great American beer cities” — and our beloved Texas town took a bow at number five, alongside Portland, Maine at #1; Milwaukee, Wisconsin at #2; and Asheville, North Carolina at #3. (Strikingly, two well-known beer states, Oregon and Colorado, weren’t in the top three; Washington, another big beer spot, didn’t even place.)

There are a couple local beer makers that should’ve been mentioned in a list like this one — Blue Owl Brewing in East Austin, for one, which has the distinction of being the only brewery in the country to focus solely on sour-mashed brews. And where’s Live Oak Brewing? One of Austin’s oldest breweries is back in the local spotlight after releasing its beers in cans and preparing to open a brand-new brewery across the street from the Austin airport. (Live Oak’s updates are probably too new to get it on the list, in all honesty. Next year, OK?)